Month: April 2017

our resume is still a vital component to getting you the interview to the job of your dreams. It’s one of the first impressions that a hiring manager will have when you apply to a new job or position, and one of the biggest determinants about whether or not you will get called for an interview.

While you can upgrade your education and get more work experience, these things take time. So what’s the easiest way to improve your resume in the least amount of time? The answer is good proofreading.

You want your resume to accurately describe who you are as a professional. Because of this, you will want your resume to be completely free of errors.

Here are six ways to proof your resume so that it is impressive and error-free:

5) Take a break, and then give it a second look

Leaving a document alone for a while, doing something else and then coming back to it later, will give you a fresher set of eyes. It’s just like getting a second opinion. Try to leave an hour or so at least before giving it a second look.

6) Read it out loud

Sometimes, your eyes just don’t catch the mistakes. If you are an auditory learner, or if you want to double check your work, reading your resume out loud can help you identify problems with sentence structure and wording.

Your resume is polished. You’ve been networking like mad. Your interview suit is even pressed and ready to go at a moment’s notice. You’re also completely and totally exhausted. The job search is draining, and doing it right feels like a full-time gig. So why not hack your job search with these seven tips?

2. See Who Viewed Your LinkedIn Profile While Remaining Anonymous
One of the most frustrating parts of the LinkedIn experience is the privacy trade-off. If you want to browse profiles anonymously, you don’t get to see who viewed your own profile. Fortunately, there’s a sneaky way around that. Grab the LinkedIn app (if you haven’t already) and follow these instructions, courtesy of FullContact‘s Matt Hubbard:

1. Tap the blue “in” logo on the top left of the app’s home screen. You’ll see a few shortcuts, including Home, your profile, and others.

2. Find and tap the + Add Shortcut option at the bottom of this list.

3. Then select Who’s Viewed Your Profile on LinkedIn.

This enables you to research anonymously but still see who is viewing you – provided that they haven’t gone stealth also.

7. Manage Your Applications and Interviews Like a Pro
Keeping track of your applications, interviews, and follow-ups is a full-time job. Ditch the spreadsheet and start using Trello. Beloved by project managers everywhere, Trello is an easy and intuitive workflow tool that can help you stay on top of the job search process. It’s also free.

I purposefully omitted apps that find or aggregate job board listings, like the Indeed or Monster app. I did this for three reasons: 1) there are a billion of them, 2) they generally do the same things that the sites themselves do and therefore don’t provide any stand-alone value, and 3) they don’t work. Well, they work for finding job listings. They just don’t work very well for landing an actual job. As we’ve said before, you’re far more likely to find a job through networking than through a job board.

t’s that time of the interview when the hiring manager sits back and asks, “So, do you have any questions for me?” Now’s not the time to say nothing—especially if you’re interviewing for that coveted remote job you really, really want.

Interviewing for a remote job is a bit different from typical on-site jobs. And there’s no exception to the question portion of the remote job interview. While you can still ask the same questions you’d ask of a non-remote job, you’ll want to be sure to ask others that are more directly related to telecommuting.

Below are a few of the most important questions to ask in a remote job interview:

1. “What are the remote work policies for this position?”

Whether the company is fully remote, or you’re the first remote employee, you’ll want to be clear on the expectations and policies of working remotely in this particular position. Determine things like: Will you be working 100 percent remotely or do you need to come into the office occasionally? Can you work in public places like a coffee shop or coworking space? Do you need to work a standard 9-to-5 schedule or will you have flexibility?

Not all remote jobs are created equally, so you’ll want understand the particular rules of the company you’re interviewing with. For example, if you need the ability to stop work to pick up the kids from school and the remote job you’re interviewing for doesn’t have a flexible schedule, you’ll want to either move onto the next or determine if this is a negotiable policy.

2. “What does communication look like at your company?”

Communication is a huge part of successful remote work. Getting insight into how the company communicates and what sorts of remote communications tools it uses will help you assess how connected you’ll be. Perhaps employees are big into Skype meetings, or maybe you’ll primarily use instant message. Familiarize yourself with the company’s chosen communication tools to ensure you’ll be a top-notch remote employee.

It’s a red flag if your interviewer lacks a good answer for this question. You’ll want to be sure the company values keeping remote workers in the know and connected to other remote workers or in-office counterparts.

Are you not feeling much love from your job applications? Perhaps you’re not getting many replies or interviews and you’re starting to feel as though you’re just throwing your CV into the wild with no idea where it actually ends up. If this sounds like you then maybe it’s time to make some changes to the way you’re job hunting.

1. Don’t bulk send your CV

When you’re job hunting you can feel as though you just want to send as many applications as you possibly can. You have over 10 tabs open with various jobs ready to fire out your CV and Cover Letter to each of them. Does this sound like you? If it does, you need to rethink your application process. We cannot stress enough the importance of catering your CV and Cover Letter to each application you make.

Yes, this will inevitably take more time and effort than just sending the same bog standard CV and Cover Letter, but it will probably give you much more joy with attaining interviews.

Read the job description, in particular the person specification, carefully and pick out some key words or skills that you will need for this role. If you believe that you have these skills and attributes yourself then add them into your CV and Cover Letter. Not only does this show the employer that you’re a good fit for the position, it also shows that you have actually read and retained information from the job ad.

2. Stop applying above your level

A great man once said ‘reach for the stars,’ but overreaching with your job applications doesn’t mean you’ll be able to bring it all back to you… (we’ll stop with the S Club 7 lyrics now!) Yes, it is always a good thing to have ambition and dream big, but if you’re a recent graduate applying for CEO or Manager positions it’s unlikely that you’ll get a lot of interviews. Unless you’re Mark Zuckerberg of course.

Job hunting is exhausting enough, so don’t make it harder for yourself by using energy applying for positions you know you aren’t qualified for. Try searching for jobs by ‘entry level’ and then refine your results by your own experiences and only apply for the roles you know you’re qualified for. This will save you time and energy.

When this happens, you’ll be tempted to immediately dive into applying. After all, you’re no longer employed—and that wasn’t your plan. But, here’s the thing: The apply-now-and-think-later approach could make your search a lot longer. That’s because being strategic, leaning on your network, and getting referred can expedite the process—a lot.

With that in mind, following this plan will help you move past your unexpected unemployment—and get you on track to end it successfully.

Step 1: Give Yourself a Week to Think About Your Career Path

There are absolutely situations when someone loses their job through no fault of their own. A company folds or a department is eliminated, and there’s nothing to be done. If that’s you—you loved what you did—and there are other companies where you can do similar work, jump to step two.

But other times, upon reflection, you may realize that your prior job wasn’t the right fit. Maybe you’d been unhappy for some time. Maybe you’d started showing up late or begun checking out at meetings. (Maybe a change in attitude or performance was even mentioned when you were let go.)

If that sounds familiar, give yourself some time to think on what you really want to be doing with your life (Here are 30 free ways to get started).

I know it’s annoyingly optimistic to say, “Think of this an opportunity!” but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It is a chance to work at a company with a different culture or learn more about other fields. Maybe you wouldn’t have pursued a career change otherwise—but it turns out, it’s the exact right thing for you.

Taking time to process first means you’re not going to get to the offer stage only to realize you aren’t excited about the role you applied for.

Step 2: Update Your Resume

When you reach out to your contacts, they’re probably going to say, “Send me your resume!” So, instead of connecting, then scrambling, get ready on your end first.

The trick to creating a resume you can send to anyone is to tailor it to a target—be that a given industry, a dream role, or a chance to display your creativity. When you update it, make sure you’re effectively demonstrating your talents and brand.

However, based on my experience, I can let you in on four things you need to know that your recruiter isn’t going to tell you.

2. Recruiters Have to Put Company Interests First

Job seekers often refer to themselves as the “clients,” and recruiters are trained not to correct them. The truth is: The companies who hire headhunters are the people who foot the bills.

So, while helping people is the most satisfying part of our work, it’s literally our job to put forth candidates who have a chance.

That sounds pretty cutthroat, but this can work in your favor. That’s because many recruiters want to coach a candidate to be more appealing to hiring managers. So, take advantage of their suggestions! For example, if they recommend a resume change, it’s because they think it’s going to get you more interviews or increase the odds that their client responds positively.

4. Recruiters Don’t Always Know What Your Job Involves

Recruiters get comfortable using the right lingo for your industry. But for the jobs out there that are more technical, there’s a good chance they don’t really know what you’d do each day.

However, the more he or she understands your field, the more likely they can find you a great-fitting job. So, I recommend asking questions like these to see how well they understand the space you work in:

How long have you been recruiting in this industry? What about your firm?

Why do you think my background is a fit for the job we’re discussing?

What are some of the biggest technical challenges this group is facing right now?

What can you tell me about the backgrounds of the other people in this group?

The best recruiters, and the ones who are doing it for the “right” reasons, will stand out because they know the history of each company they work with, the hiring manger’s story, and so on.

So ask a lot of questions, and trust your gut in terms of how comfortable they seem when answering.

Working with a recruiter can be a great way to advance your job search. But, remember it’s just one avenue. So, take the experience at face value: They can help you find your next position—and that’d be a great outcome for everyone. But in the meantime, keep reaching out to your network and investing your time in developing a strong personal brand, so you have as many options as you deserve.